Chapter 2 A Career at Crossroads

Lana's alarm blared at exactly 7:00 AM, the same grating, high-pitched chime she had meant to change for months but never got around to. She groaned, blindly reaching for her phone, and for the first time in two years, she wasn't greeted by a "Good morning, babe" text from Jason.

It felt... oddly nice.

She lay there for a moment, staring at the ceiling, as a realization crept over her, she was single. Truly single. Not just in a "we're taking a break" kind of way, but in a "he's blocked, deleted, and possibly cursing my name right now" kind of way.

Lana exhaled deeply, rolled out of bed, and shuffled to the kitchen in her oversized sweater and fluffy socks.

She poured herself an unreasonably large mug of coffee and took the first sip as she leaned against the counter.

There was something liberating about this. No waiting for Jason's texts. No checking if he had posted anything passive-aggressive on social media. No second-guessing if she should have left sooner.

Well, today was a new day. And she had work to do.

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Lana barely had time to set her things down before a loud thunk startled her.

A stack of papers hit her desk, followed by the voice of Tasha Evans, her coworker and the closest thing she had to a friend in the office.

"Morning, sunshine. Your adoring fans left you some fan mail."

Lana glanced at the papers. Complaints. Emails from readers who had very strong opinions about her latest article, "Are AI Chatbots the Future of Dating, or Are We Just This Lonely?"

"Let me guess," Lana muttered. "Some dude named Chad wrote an essay on why AI girlfriends are better than real women."

Tasha grinned. "Three Chads, actually. My favorite one compared AI romance to 'owning a very smart toaster with benefits.'"

Lana groaned. "Remind me why I got into journalism again?"

Before Tasha could answer, a voice called out from across the office.

"Lana! My office. Now."

Lana's stomach sank. That was Frank Dawson, her editor-in-chief. And he only ever sounded like that when someone was in trouble.

"Good luck," Tasha whispered, making the sign of the cross as Lana grabbed her notebook and headed toward Frank's office.

Frank's office was as cluttered as ever, papers everywhere, coffee cups stacked like a failed game of Jenga, and a small plant in the corner that was definitely dying, if not already dead.

He gestured for Lana to sit.

"Lana, we need to talk."

Lana sat, bracing herself. "If this is about the Chad emails, I stand by everything I wrote."

Frank pinched the bridge of his nose. "No, this is about something bigger." He sighed. "Look, I'll be honest with you. We're struggling. Clicks are down. Engagement is down. We need something fresh, something that'll actually get people talking."

Lana frowned. "What are you saying?"

Frank leaned forward. "I need you to write a real story. Not another listicle, not another gadget review. I need something that's going to blow up the internet."

Lana raised an eyebrow. "And you think I'm the person to do that?"

"I do," he said. Then he slid a manila folder across the desk.

She picked it up, flipping through the first few pages. The company name stood out in bold: EvoTech Industries

Lana stiffened. She had heard of them. A rising star in AI development. Highly secretive. Highly controversial.

"This isn't just another chatbot, Lana," Frank said. "They're calling it Romeo-9000."

Lana blinked. "Like... an AI boyfriend?"

Frank nodded. "Exactly. It's the most advanced artificial intelligence companion ever made. They claim it can truly understand human emotions. More human than human."

Lana scoffed. "Sounds like marketing hype."

Frank smirked. "That's why I want you to test it. They want a tester that'll live with it for a week. And I want you to do it, see if an AI can actually pass for the perfect boyfriend. Then, write the most compelling, mind-blowing review of your life."

Lana flipped through the pages again. Romeo-9000 was supposed to be perfect. A machine designed to love or at least, simulate love-with an algorithm that adapted to its user's personality, desires, and emotional needs.

It was fascinating. It was weird.

And it was probably the strangest assignment she'd ever gotten.

She looked up at Frank. "You really think this is worth my time?"

"I think it could be huge," he said. "And if you pull this off? It could be the story that makes your career."

Lana hesitated. She had spent years waiting for an opportunity like this, something big, something real.

But spending a week with an AI boyfriend? That was next-level bizarre.

She exhaled and closed the folder.

"I'll think about it".